This invention relates to a shingle removing apparatus. More particularly, it relates to powered devices for removing overlapping shingles from the roof or sides of buildings.
The exterior surfaces of buildings often are covered with a plurality of overlapping, horizontally aligned rows of shingles. The first row is generally laid across the lower most edge of the surface to be covered and nailed or stapled in place at the upper portion of the shingle. Each successive row is secured to the roof with the lower portion overlapping the immediately preceding lower row to cover the attaching fasteners. In some roofing, the overlapping portion is also secured to the bottom shingle by heat sensitive adhesive. Some building surfaces are covered with roll roofing, in which successive sheets of roofing material are overlapped in a similar manner.
Shingles deteriorate with age and are otherwise prone to damage and wear necessitating periodic removal and replacement. To remove the shingles, it is necessary to pry the shingles and fasteners upwardly. This can be difficult as the shingles lie flat and are held with a plurality of nails securing them to the subsurface, and are often adhered to one another. During removal the shingles often split or rip, littering the shingled surface with debris which must be removed before a new protective surface can be applied. Numerous tools have been developed for stripping shingles from roofs and the like, however, these tools have various drawbacks. Therefore, the removal of shingles remains a laborious, potentially dangerous, and time consuming job.
Many of the prior art devices comprise a type of crowbar having a claw on one end which is forced in beneath the covering shingle so as to engage a nail which holds down the shingle to be removed. The bar may be provided with some type of leveraging mechanism for aiding manual prying up of the shingles and the nails. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,743 discloses a manual roofing tool having an elongated handle with a flat lower edge adapted to be forced beneath a shingle. The outer most edge engages the nail and a rocking action assists in the removal of the nails and shingles. U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,644 discloses a roofer's hammer having a specialized claw at the opposite end of the hammer head. The curved claw is slipped under shingles until it engages the nail, and the head of the hammer is forced downward. U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,827 discloses a shingle removing tool having a forward facing claw and a rear facing notch while the other free end portion constitutes a handle.
Other shingle removing devices known in the art are power driven. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,104 describes a device having a powered reciprocating plate with a notched forward edge that moves in a concave arc during the reciprocating movement. U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,072 discloses a power operated hand tool for scrapping and feathering the surfaces of metal sheets. U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,605 discloses a roofing removal tractor having slideable guide rods carrying a cutting head.
Though several shingle removing devices are known in the art, these tools do not enable shingle stripping operations to be performed in as rapid and efficient manner as may be desired. Furthermore, there has been an inability to efficiently remove stripped material out of the way so as to provide a clear path for the forward movement of the stripping machine. Stripped material which accumulates immediately in front of the stripping machine impedes progress of the operation. Other drawbacks include sharp blades which shear off nail heads. The remaining nail shaft is difficult to remove from the subroof. If such cut nails are allowed to remain in the subroof, they may damage subsequently applied new roofing. Another drawback in many of the known devices is the angle of the tool handle and blade. The force vector in the forward or stripping motion loses significant force to the downward vector, and this results in excessive force being utilized by the tool operator making the work much harder than it need be. In many instances, the applied downward force results in damage to the subroof, or injury to the workman.
Accordingly, as shingle removal is a difficult, tiring, and dangerous task, a need exists for a roof shingle removing tool which will enable a roofer to remove roofing shingles in a more efficient, safer and less tiring manner. It would be desirable to provide a powered machine which operates to strip away old shingles leaving exposed the basic structure of the surface generally prepared to receive a new layer of shingles.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a shingle removing device which can efficiently and rapidly remove roofing shingles from building roofs and sides. Another object is to provide an apparatus that may be employed with a minimal amount of expended energy by the user. It is another object to provide a shingle removing device which allows the shingles and nails to be lifted simultaneously. Other objects are to provide a shingle removing device that may be easily and safely handled by a single operator even when employed on a sloped roof of a building; to provide a sturdy, simple, light weight, easily constructed apparatus; and to provide a machine which is portable and may be powered by conventional methods thereby enabling the machine to be used in numerous environments. These together with other objects and advantages which will become apparent subsequently reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.